Bloodthirsty
by xt1me
Summary: (Drax named this fic) The Guardians of the Galaxy walk into a bar and it for once it doesn't end up in a bar fight.


_I was going to get someone to proof read this for me but they're pretty busy right now and I know if I don't post this I'll end up forgetting about it so I apologise in advance for any errors._

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><p><strong>~-Bloodthirsty-~<strong>

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><p>"Come on guys, I just want one drink here and then we can go." Peter said as the Guardians of the Galaxy (minus Groot who was 'guarding the ship' being still too small to take drinking) strode onto a dimly lit, cramped bar. Calling the place a hole-in-a-wall was an insult to both holes and walls, a fact that Rocket wasn't quiet about sharing.<p>

"I've escaped from prisons worst than this." He said.

Such comments might have ordinarily instigated a fight or at least resulted in things being thrown, be it insults or bottles, but the other customers weren't near drunk enough yet to risk catching the attention of Drax or Gamora.

Peter ignored them all and went straight to the bar. "Ak'kinns Gut-Puncher" he ordered. Rocket scoffed as he scrambled up a bar stool. "That's what you're having Seriously?"

"What is an Ak'kinns and why would you want it to punch you in the gut?" Drax asked.

"It's not...it's the name of a drink," Peter tried to explain.

"A real stupid drink," Rocket interrupted, "Wannabes order it when they wanna to look big to their pals. It's basically just the blood from this real poisonous reptile and a shot of Balaro Moonshine."

"Venomous," Gamora corrected.

"What?" asked Rocket.

"Ak'kinns are venomous not poisonous. I believe the are said to be quite edible as long as you cut the head off first," she continued. "They are also snakes,"

"Whatever. It's gonna be hilarious watching this guy throw up all over the place." Rocket said jerking a thumb at Peter.

The bartender put a blue drink in front of Peter, who frowned.

"Hey," he said, "What's this?"

"This?" The bartender smiled, "This is much better then that other drink. Made with Doraro ink. Very rare. Any mistake when harvesting the ink means toxins-"

"I don't care about that," Peter interrupted, "I don't want squid ink, I want an Ak'kinns Gut-Puncher."

"But this is much better. Tell you what, as it's your first try, I'll let you have it half price."

Now Peter was suspicious, "Is Pauly around?"

"There's no need to bother the owner. You can-"

"Hey," a large orange skinned man came in from the door behind the bar, "Are you bothering the customers again. Go load the barrels in the back." The younger bartender scurried off. "Well, well, well," the man said to Quill, "It's about that time again is it?"

"Pauly," Peter smiled. "Can you believe what that guy was trying to sell me?"

"Yeah well, there's a reason for that." Pauly looked serious. "I can't sell you any Ak'kinns blood kid"

"What, Why?" Peter asked.

"I'm all out."

"Aw man, don't tell me I have to go to Movax. He's still mad at me for last time."

"Don't bother, he's out too. New import regulations. Until the tax has been sorted or new smuggling routes open up no bar in this sector will be able to sell you so much as a spoon full."

"You're kidding me," Peter slumped dramatically down onto a stool that creaked ominously.

"You can't seriously tell me you like that swill," said Rocket, "That's disgusting. And Balaro moonshine tastes like it's been distilled in a mouldy sock."

Drax carefully sat down next to the others. "Why would you taste mouldy socks?" he asked.

Rocket spluttered, "I haven't- I have a good sense of smell, OK."

"It's not so bad if you have enough blood in it," said Peter, "it doesn't really taste much of anything."

"And do you regularly drink blood?" Gamora asked from were she was standing, having decided it was safer then risking the rickety stools.

"Ew, no." Peter made a face, "It's just Ak'knns blood. And I totally have a reason for that."

The Bartender laughed, "You should have seen it the first time the kid came in and ordered it. He barely came up to my waist. Just walked right up to the bar and ordered a drink hardly anyone had heard of. I took one look at him and I tell 'im I'm not serving a minor booze. He says fine, leave it out. So I give 'im a glass of just the blood thinkin' he'll chicken out after a sip. The kid just downs the lot in one shot and then he goes and asks for more.

I though his captain was goin' to bust a gut laughing at the looks on everyone's faces.

We had half the bar orderin' the drink by the end of the night, trying to prove they were more badass then a baby."

"I wasn't a baby." Peter protested.

"Yeah you were," Pauly laughed. "Just a little kid, freaking out the grown ups by drinking blood." He shook his head, "We're next to a space-port. You'd think people would realise that different species' have different tastes."

Pauly wandered off to serve another patron at the end of the bar leaving the Guardians looking at their leader.

"Quill," Gamora was the first to speak, "What possible reason could you have for drinking the blood of a venomous snake?"

"Iron supplements." said Peter.

"What?"

"Well, it's got other vitamins and minerals I need in it too but I can never remember what they are. It's mainly for the iron," he explained.

"Why not simply go to a doctor for actual supplements?" Gamora asked.

Peter snorted, "First you have to find a Doc that doesn't think you're just trying to scam prescription drugs. Then you've got to find one that's willing to deal with Terran biology, we're not exactly common out here.

Then, if you find one, you get stuck with a ton of tests as they work out what's wrong with you because they never just take your word for it. _Then_ you have to wait while they send off a prescription to get processed because it has to be made from scratch. And once you get all that done they'll then charge you an arm and a leg for it all. Metaphor." Peter said quickly before Drax could ask who's limbs he used to pay of it.

"All that," he continued, "for a box of pills that barely last a few months. And when they do run out you're in a totally different sector of the galaxy so you have to go though everything all over again."

He leaned on the bar, straightening quickly when it creaked dangerously.

"We finally found something that worked just as well, didn't make me sick and was readily available on most planets. So now I have a medical reason to get wasted."

He frowned, "Well, it used to be readily available."

"Why don't ya chew Kanka leaves?" Rocket asked, "They've got iron in 'em, don't they?"

Peter made a face, "urk, no way. They give me the runs something awful."

"Friend Peter," Drax asked, "What were to happen if you do not get any of this blood?"

"I get tired mainly. Not sleepy, just like I completely run out if energy. Eventually I'd probably die but that'd take a few years."

"Then we must find some Ak'kins and kill them. Then you will have all the blood you need." Drax declared.

"Huh, I never thought of that," said Peter. "But the thing is, I don't know where you'd find any. Hell, I don't even know what they look like."

"You may not," Gamora said, "but the bartender must know where his supplies come from."

Peter grinned, "Hey Pauly!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard." The bartender came over. "Your lucky I like you kid." Pauly scribbled some coordinates on a bar-mat. "It's a little out of the way but I've heard this guy has a farm for these things out back of a bar. They've got this deal where if you go in a pit with one of the snakes and kill it before it gets you, you drink for free."

Peter turned pleadingly to Gamora who rolled her eyes.

"Very well," she replied to the unspoken request.

"I wish to try this challenge as well. Lets us go," Drax said getting up and heading swiftly to the door, completely ignoring his stool that broke to pieces when it fell over.

"Hey, wait," Peter hurried after him, "we don't have to go now."

Gamora followed unhurriedly as Rocket muttered, "Hope that place is less of a sty then this one."


End file.
